Do I need a machine to clean ?

I tried lots of methods for cleaning LPs before I bought a SOTA LPC. The other methods worked okay, but the LPC is much better and easier to use.

The only other thing a true audiophile could want is a racoon!

If you don't mind the extra elbow grease and a bit more noise and you're handy, definitely build your own vaccum cleaner.

Now that we have central vaccum I cannibalized my wife's old Hoover upright. Then I used some scrap cabinet plywood and mounted the motor and hose outlet to a platform that is roughly 12" x 16". From there it was easy to build the sides and completely enclose everything. I used my bandsaw to spin some circles out of MDF for the platter and a label cover that is used to spin the record. A trip to Home Depot to get the lazy susan bearing and a dowel for the spindel. Then I modified one of the hose attachements with a slit down the length and lined both sides with velvet. The whole thing cost me about $40.

I do use a VPI replacement brush for a 16.5 cleaner to scrub with, Record Research cleaners and the little disposable VPI brushes as applicators.

I can't say that this works as good as a commercial cleaner but it has made a big improvement in my analog enjoyment.

Question: Are any of these machines practical or versatile anough so as to clean one record at a time or do they make sens, economiquelly or otherwise, only when a series of record need to be clean at one time ?

Phoutin - I generally clean only one LP at a time on the Nitty Gritty. The whole process takes less than a minute, which is the beauty of these machines. Sometimes I clean several LPs at a time, but the machine tends to heat up a bit if used for more than a few LPs per cleaning session.

Rshak- Agreed and neat, yet does'nt the machine required some kind of assistance once your done with it ? I know my juicer can deliver a carrot juice in less than a minute, yet the thing's gona be in a sorry state the next time if I dont devote some time cleaning it afterward, each time that its being used.